Hands-on chemistry

Once upon a time, Jessica was nearly engulfed by noxious fumes.

Another upon a time, she sat at her computer recalling this incident and listening to ZZ Top and Boston at the SAME TIME!!!

Well, swim practice was today, and it went well UNTIL we were doing some 50’s alternating back and breast. I felt some sort of tingling in my throat, like I had inhaled helium or something (Not that I do it on a regular basis). However, I didn’t really take it to mind. I just thought that I was winded, and wherefore drank more water.

But THEN we were doing a 500 free and that’s when the same helium-intake-type feeling came back into my throat. But this time it was much stronger, and it was causing me to cough every time I tried to hold my breath. I kept swimming, hoping that it would pass, but it only got worse every time I breathed. I was about to stop and drink some (more) water when I saw that Kara was also slowing down in front of me. She was coughing too! We both decided to stop for a moment to catch our breath(s?) before continuing. Behind me, Jared was coughing a little but continued on. I concluded that there was some strange killer disease spreading or that some toxic gas was floating around.

After a slight recovery, Kara and I swam another (slow) 100 and had to stop again. Coach came over and asked what the matter was, and we explained our identical symptoms. It turned out Kara’s throat had started feeling helium-ey around the breast/back set, too. Coach looked concerned and told us to only swim the rest if and when we felt like it, and then he went to go investigate the situation.

Well, 150 yards and a whole lot of coughing later (exhibited by everyone but Nathan, who now claims he’s immune to everything), Coach told every one to go ahead and get out; the chlorine level in the pool was too high. Not dangerously high, but high enough to make everyone start coughing after a little over an hour. Coach tested it and said it was a “5.0”, which would be fine, if it were an outdoor pool. But a safe level would have been “2.0” for an indoor pool. He contacted the main people who rent the pool and informed them. The President-guy said that the team that swims in the morning could only swim an hour because of the fumes (I think they usually swim two and a half hours or something).

Anyway, Coach didn’t say the chlorine level would be all the way down by tomorrow, but I sure hope it’s at least relatively so.

In other news, the hot water heater at the pool has died, resulting in -41 degrees Fahrenheit showers of which no one partook because they all went home in fear of hypothermia.

I’ve got to go now, but I’ll write later!

~Jessica